What do you know about golf?

The golf industry is very much like the hotel and restaurant industries. It has guests who pay for mostly intangible services, it’s seasonable, it even segments in similar ways.

The Rideau Golf and Country Club case is easier than it looks…..membership is declining. Read the case carefully, underlining the key points in the case. Examine the current targets; seniors, husband/wife, juniors and a few others. It looks like mostly demographic segmentation to me. How else could the club segment?

Look at the existing segments, possible new ones too and think about the criteria (page 129) for choosing target markets. Are they compatible for example? (yes, I added a fifth criteria)

Bring your notes, read the four suggestions for management and tell us which strategy would solve the clubs problem best. Good luck!

About Ian W. McVitty

Discussion

11 thoughts on “What do you know about golf?”

Discrimination!
There are at least two types of discrimination found in this case. Gender discrimination and Ageism, Ageism is the discrimination of some based on their age. Gender discrimination in golf is not new and still exists today. (Google Augusta National Golf Club).
See the Twitter feed for a story of St. Andrews allowing women to play for the first time.
What are your thoughts?

When reading the article I thought this exact thought. Woman have opened every door, turned every rock to have equal rights with men and when it’s done then they go and get a ladies only club going. Look at workout gyms from past to present, there used to be places just for men….not really any more. Yet now there are women only gyms. I don’t believe society should put pressure on men to open everything up to woman and that women should just open their own club. We are doctors, dentists, Judges and yet we can’t stand when there is a club that won’t take us. Bah to that I say.

Interesting. They could indeed open female only facilities, since they have the land. However, this type of segregation is happily on the decline. Much like the male membership of this club.
It is all a matter of time:-)

I know about golf the fact that it is an exclusivist sport by excellence, a sport in which business people not only spend a few hours relaxing, but plotting successful business. It is an expensive sport and a lifestyle.
In golf, women are those who give up the fastest, they quickest withdraw from a golf club than the men, so maybe this is the real secret that hides behind so-called discrimination.
Perhaps because of this the women are not a viable target market for golf clubs.

Perhaps this is true, so let’s look at the trends. Male members are declining and female members are growing. Is it possible that a decision now will take the future gender mix of the club in consideration?

Even so, taking in consideration a future mixed-gender, it’s not sufficient for the golf industry to feel an “economic boom”.
First, the ladies, members of the golf clubs, must have passion for golf and not to be there, at the golf club, just for the eternal reason, the competition between the sexes, the need to demonstrate proficiency in all, in the name of gender equality.
Second, it is absolutely necessary to customize this sport according to the women’s psychology and women’s needs, not only to have new members each month, but also to keep them, as long as possible. If the ladies, club members, are happy then for sure they will return often, showing loyalty to the club.

As for the case study, what about Geographic, since they mention some people come from outside of Kingston to come play at the golf, management could segment geographically to see what percentage of golfers come from out of town. They could use package deals with hotels in the area, depending on their location, to give their establishment that extra benefit to going to their club.